Smoke evacuation system fluid trap

Abstract

A fluid trap for minimizing the escape of contaminated fluids from the fluid trap when an orientation of the fluid trap changes during removal or transport includes a front cover, a rear cover coupled to the front cover, and an interior chamber defined by the front and rear covers. The front cover defines an inlet port extending a first distance into an interior chamber of the fluid trap. The rear cover defines an exhaust port extending a second distance away from the rear cover of the fluid trap and positioned above the inlet port when the fluid trap is in an upright position. The interior chamber has a maximum fluid volume defined as the lesser of a fluid reservoir volume, a front cover volume, and a rear cover volume.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A fluid trap for minimizing the escape of contaminated fluids from the fluid trap when an orientation of the fluid trap changes during removal or transport, the fluid trap comprising:
 a front cover defining an inlet port that extends a first distance into an interior chamber of the fluid trap; 
 a rear cover coupled to the front cover, the rear cover defining an exhaust port extending a second distance away from the interior chamber and the rear cover of the fluid trap and positioned above the inlet port when the fluid trap is in an upright position; and 
 an interior chamber defined by the front and rear covers, the interior chamber comprising a maximum fluid volume, wherein the maximum fluid volume comprises the lesser of:
 a fluid reservoir volume, 
 a front cover volume, and 
 a rear cover volume 
 
 wherein the front cover volume and the rear cover volume are each greater than the fluid reservoir volume. 
 
     
     
       2. The fluid trap of  claim 1 , wherein the fluid reservoir volume comprises an interior volume of the fluid trap defined by interior sidewalls of the fluid trap below the inlet port. 
     
     
       3. The fluid trap of  claim 1 , wherein the front cover volume comprises a volume equivalent to a product of the surface area of the front cover and an average depth of the front cover with respect to the first distance of the inlet port. 
     
     
       4. The fluid trap of  claim 1 , wherein the rear cover volume comprises a volume of the interior chamber defined by interior sidewalls of the fluid trap and bounded by a line tangent to a lowest interior-facing sidewall of the exhaust port that is parallel with a surface upon which the exhaust port lies. 
     
     
       5. The fluid trap of  claim 4 , wherein the rear cover volume is proportional to the second distance. 
     
     
       6. The fluid trap of  claim 1 , further comprising a protrusion on one or more of the front cover or the rear cover. 
     
     
       7. The fluid trap of  claim 6 , wherein the protrusion increases one or more of the fluid reservoir volume or the rear cover volume. 
     
     
       8. The fluid trap of  claim 1 , wherein the exhaust port additionally extends into the interior chamber, increasing the rear cover volume and reducing a likelihood that splashes or sloshing of fluid inside the fluid trap results in spillage. 
     
     
       9. The fluid trap of  claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of baffles disposed within the interior chamber for minimizing fluid motion during handling of the fluid trap. 
     
     
       10. A fluid trap for minimizing the escape of contaminated fluids, the fluid trap comprising:
 an interior chamber defined by sidewalls of the fluid trap; 
 an inlet port extending into the interior chamber, the inlet port comprising a notched cylindrical body that directs smoke in a defined direction, wherein the notched cylindrical body is defined by an upper fixed sidewall and a lower fixed sidewall, the upper fixed sidewall extending into the interior chamber of the fluid trap a longer fixed distance than the lower fixed sidewall; and 
 an exhaust port positioned opposite and above the inlet port, the exhaust port defining an open channel between the interior chamber of the fluid trap and an area outside the fluid trap. 
 
     
     
       11. The fluid trap of  claim 10 , wherein:
 a first cross-sectional slice transecting a longitudinal axis of the inlet port yields an arcuate shape that includes both the upper and the lower sidewall, and 
 a second cross-sectional slice transecting the longitudinal axis of the inlet port yields a semi-arcuate shape that includes a portion of the upper sidewall that extends into the interior chamber beyond the lower sidewall. 
 
     
     
       12. The fluid trap of  claim 10 , wherein the defined direction is directionally towards the lower sidewall and directionally away from the exhaust port. 
     
     
       13. The fluid trap of  claim 10 , further comprising a splash canopy positioned between the inlet port and the exhaust port and extending laterally across a width of the inlet port. 
     
     
       14. The fluid trap of  claim 13 , further comprising a splash wall spanning opposing sidewalls of the interior chamber and extending vertically from a first point coplanar with at least a portion of the splash canopy to a second point coplanar with at least a portion of the exhaust port. 
     
     
       15. The fluid trap of  claim 14 , wherein one or more of the splash canopy and the splash wall comprise a fibrous fluid wicking material that enable removal of one or more aerosols or small droplet fluids from smoke. 
     
     
       16. The fluid trap of  claim 14 , wherein one or more of the splash canopy and the splash wall comprise condensation promoting surfaces.